Had the chance to sit in on a roundtable of business owners talking about how indecisive customers are nowadays. Your sales team has likely commiserated over the same conclusion we came to, which is that your value is no longer self-evident and the customer’s buying cycle now seems to possess an invisible new gear that fails to mesh with your sales cycle.
These are times that challenge B2B organizations to test the greater meaning of marketing, which is the creation of customers -- creation that can only come from deeper exploration of a customer’s problems, and often in spite of that customer’s own blind spots. Nevertheless, it is this juncture where marketing is being put to the test. Just as kaizen is the practice of discovering and celebrating failures for the purpose of improving quality, marketing must discover customer problems for the purpose of improving value delivery.
But this is generally not the way of most B2B organizations. The tendency is to manage away from problems, rather than to lead people to seek them out. The tendency is to look back in the rear view mirror of product features and benefits, rather than to help focus a customer’s blurred perception of their own problems and costs – kaizen opportunities to be cultivated by your company’s deeper wherewithal.
When a B2B company fails to fail on behalf of its customers, it is because there is an imbalance between management and leadership. A marketing blind spot has formed that prevents the exploration and creation of greater value. Looking at ourselves in the mirror of B2B marketing, some will insist that it is the role of management to minimize failure.
If so, then it is the role of leadership to capitalize on it.
jb
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Social media up-close…
Just flew back from a B2B trade show and boy are my arms tired. Sorry. Actually, after the short-lived knee pain from walking the show for three days, the pain that lingers comes from having again witnessed the failure of marketing, and being struck by the similarities between trade show marketing and social media marketing.
Judging by the behaviors of booth staffs at the show, a few marketers are highly effective, but most are not. Up close at a trade show, you can see this failure. Here is an unscientific account of the three approaches I witnessed this past week...
“What can I sell you today?”
Maybe 60% of booth workers conveyed this attitude, and you can bet it’s their approach every other business day of the year. They lead with, “We make X. Are you buying from us yet?” And if the passer-by’s answer is “no,” then the next question is, “Why not?” This aggressive approach actually works on rare occasions, but usually the spirit of the question will be taken for what it is, insincere and off-putting, because it does not help passers-by think about their business problems in the context of your capabilities. Just the opposite, it reinforces their negative image of salespeople. They wincingly nod, fight or flight instincts kicking in. Almost begrudgingly, they let you swipe their card, but mentally they are on the run, needing to get as far as possible away from your brand and your booth.
“Do not disturb.”
Around 35% of booth workers apparently feel this way. How else can you explain their weary passivity, their genuine disinterest? If you are a passer-by, they may see you coming, but so what? They have retreated within their booth, looking out as though penned by an invisible electric fence, unwilling to step forward for fear of getting zapped. So they mingle among themselves, clearly preferring each other’s company. As to why they are here, is it not apparent to all? They are here, because they have booth duty; so they huddle to share business “war stories” and to be critical of competitors, and to complain about low show attendance. They are ineffective at the show, and they would be ineffective in social media.
“How are you today?”
The interest is genuine. The booth worker cares even as you squint to understand the booth signage. He or she intercepts your thoughts in stride by asking the question that both explains and engages: “Are you using X?” Followed by, “What problems have you been experiencing in this area?” Within seconds you are a visitor inside the booth, because you have established a mutual frame of reference, which is your problem and not the booth worker’s product. Incredibly, the booth worker has helped you think about a problem you have in the midst of the messaging chaos that is the trade show environment. The approach is neither passive nor aggressive. It is the simple act of being genuinely interested.
It is this latter approach that works. It works within the broader messaging chaos that is social media, and it works within the marketplace at large.
JB
Judging by the behaviors of booth staffs at the show, a few marketers are highly effective, but most are not. Up close at a trade show, you can see this failure. Here is an unscientific account of the three approaches I witnessed this past week...
“What can I sell you today?”
Maybe 60% of booth workers conveyed this attitude, and you can bet it’s their approach every other business day of the year. They lead with, “We make X. Are you buying from us yet?” And if the passer-by’s answer is “no,” then the next question is, “Why not?” This aggressive approach actually works on rare occasions, but usually the spirit of the question will be taken for what it is, insincere and off-putting, because it does not help passers-by think about their business problems in the context of your capabilities. Just the opposite, it reinforces their negative image of salespeople. They wincingly nod, fight or flight instincts kicking in. Almost begrudgingly, they let you swipe their card, but mentally they are on the run, needing to get as far as possible away from your brand and your booth.
“Do not disturb.”
Around 35% of booth workers apparently feel this way. How else can you explain their weary passivity, their genuine disinterest? If you are a passer-by, they may see you coming, but so what? They have retreated within their booth, looking out as though penned by an invisible electric fence, unwilling to step forward for fear of getting zapped. So they mingle among themselves, clearly preferring each other’s company. As to why they are here, is it not apparent to all? They are here, because they have booth duty; so they huddle to share business “war stories” and to be critical of competitors, and to complain about low show attendance. They are ineffective at the show, and they would be ineffective in social media.
“How are you today?”
The interest is genuine. The booth worker cares even as you squint to understand the booth signage. He or she intercepts your thoughts in stride by asking the question that both explains and engages: “Are you using X?” Followed by, “What problems have you been experiencing in this area?” Within seconds you are a visitor inside the booth, because you have established a mutual frame of reference, which is your problem and not the booth worker’s product. Incredibly, the booth worker has helped you think about a problem you have in the midst of the messaging chaos that is the trade show environment. The approach is neither passive nor aggressive. It is the simple act of being genuinely interested.
It is this latter approach that works. It works within the broader messaging chaos that is social media, and it works within the marketplace at large.
JB
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Got a minute? Let’s launch a new company.
C’mon, we can do this. We’ll make millions. Let’s take that product idea you’ve had in your back pocket for years, put it on a line card and start selling features and benefits. Not sure what's selling? Check your competitors’ line cards. Smaller. Faster. Modular. Green. Hey – yours too! Only, yours is THE BEST.
Now let’s get the word out, but first what are the competitors doing? Not much? Good, we can match them easy and save money right off the bat. Our new accountant will love that. All we need to do is get out there and start selling and we’re in business.
Pick a product. Any product. Put it on a line card. Say it’s the best.
Sound familiar? If it does, then the time has come to escape the world of me-too B2B mismarketing, misbranding and miscommunication.
Our firm is looking for a few good B2B business leaders who want to finally put the power of marketing and branding to work for them: www.centrifuge-now.com
JB
Now let’s get the word out, but first what are the competitors doing? Not much? Good, we can match them easy and save money right off the bat. Our new accountant will love that. All we need to do is get out there and start selling and we’re in business.
Pick a product. Any product. Put it on a line card. Say it’s the best.
Sound familiar? If it does, then the time has come to escape the world of me-too B2B mismarketing, misbranding and miscommunication.
Our firm is looking for a few good B2B business leaders who want to finally put the power of marketing and branding to work for them: www.centrifuge-now.com
JB
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
B2B TALKS about social media…
Nothing gets sold until it gets communicated. However, communication is a fluid thing. It’s difficult to manage and even harder to lead.
Meanwhile, smaller B2B companies are attending social media seminars almost monthly, trying to catch up with larger B2B companies. That won’t take long. And when they do, many of these entrepreneurial businesses will do a better job of it, because they won’t allow themselves to come up against the social media “policy” wall -- that barrier built by lawyers and managers as no-fault disclaimers, establishing a hands-off approach to having employees walk-the-walk when it comes to all the social media talk.
The uneven adoption of social media illustrates the difference between management driven and leadership driven business cultures. A management driven culture is inclined to control social media. Realizing this isn’t possible, the decision will be, “Ok, if we can’t manage it, let’s minimize the damage it can cause.” Alternatively, in a business culture driven by leadership, the attitude will be, “Let’s cultivate our employee leaders to use social media to build our brand. Not only that, let’s show them how!”
B2B leaders understand that social media is just another way a company can invest in the professional development of people. It’s just another way to go to market and to build brand identity.
It’s another way to communicate. Or not.
JB
Meanwhile, smaller B2B companies are attending social media seminars almost monthly, trying to catch up with larger B2B companies. That won’t take long. And when they do, many of these entrepreneurial businesses will do a better job of it, because they won’t allow themselves to come up against the social media “policy” wall -- that barrier built by lawyers and managers as no-fault disclaimers, establishing a hands-off approach to having employees walk-the-walk when it comes to all the social media talk.
The uneven adoption of social media illustrates the difference between management driven and leadership driven business cultures. A management driven culture is inclined to control social media. Realizing this isn’t possible, the decision will be, “Ok, if we can’t manage it, let’s minimize the damage it can cause.” Alternatively, in a business culture driven by leadership, the attitude will be, “Let’s cultivate our employee leaders to use social media to build our brand. Not only that, let’s show them how!”
B2B leaders understand that social media is just another way a company can invest in the professional development of people. It’s just another way to go to market and to build brand identity.
It’s another way to communicate. Or not.
JB
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
